The Necklace
by Phedre no Delaunay
Summary: Tasuki wins a special prize for a special girl. SMFY Oneshot.


Title: The Necklace

Author: Phèdre nó Delaunay

Theme(s): #16 present, reward, jackpot

Summary: Tasuki wins a special prize for a special girl.

Pairing/Characters: Hotaru/Tasuki (Fushigi Yuugi)

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, and I'm not making any money. This was written for the 30houshin theme community at Live Journal.

http / community . livejournal . com / 30(underscore)houshin /

(hopefully you can figure that out...stupid FFN)

The Necklace

His eyes locked onto her as soon as she entered the room, following her as she made her rounds. She went about her duties as usual, oblivious to the scrutiny. Deftly, she stacked dirty plates, bowls, cups, and carried them back to the kitchen. He watched her until the door slammed closed, hiding her.

Then, he regained his focus. Turning back to the game, he studied the prizes offered, weighed the options. He wanted the necklace. It would match her eyes perfectly, and women loved jewelry. Right? He couldn't really remember...maybe he shouldn't have had so much to drink.

He'd need a matching bet to win the necklace. Reaching up, he removed the string of beads from his own neck. It was his favorite piece of jewelry, but he had others to replace it if necessary. Besides, if he could win this one round of dice, it would be worth it.

She entered the room again, cradling a large jug of sake. The main feast may be over, but the party would last well into the night, and his men would want endless refills. She moved between the men gracefully, stooping to fill an empty cup whenever she came across one. One of the men said something to her, and she giggled, brushing her straight, black hair out of her face.

He could feel himself grinning stupidly and tried to stop. But he couldn't quite get past the drunken haze that was making him act like a lovesick idiot. Koji was laughing at him. He ignored the laughing and reached for the dice. Just this one round, and maybe, just maybe, he could win her over.

"Odds," he called, and let the dice fly. When they landed, odds, he let out a whoop and scooped up his prize. He slipped his string of beads back around his neck, and his opponent moaned and gave a nasty curse.

"Wench! I need more sake!" the man growled.

It was a testament to her good nature that she let the men call her a wench. Oh, she'd protested at first, but over time she had come to realize that they meant no offense. They just didn't know any better. She wove her way through the crowded hall, a brilliant smile on her face.

When she bent to refill the glass, he slid behind her and settled the necklace around her pale, beautiful throat. She tensed immediately, but waited patiently while he tried to fasten it. He really shouldn't have had so much to drink. It really shouldn't have been that hard.

She stood and inspected the necklace as best she could.

"It's beautiful," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

His brain tried to warn him, tried to make him stop. But the haze from the alcohol kept him from hearing the warning before it was too late. He reached out with one hand, running it through her hair, and then he moved forward and pressed his lips against hers. She was so unbelievably soft, so warm. He never wanted to move, never wanted to let her go.

His thoughts were interrupted by the pain of a sake jug smashing into his skull. Without a word, she clutched the jug to her chest and ran from the room. He giggled stupidly and sat down before he could fall over.

"I think she likes me," he said. Koji just rolled his eyes and reached for the dice.

* * *

The tone isn't quite what I had originally intended. Also, Tasuki isn't quite as...boisterous as he usually is in the anime, but I think when he tries, he can be serious. Also, in reference to him "hating women"...I think it's all talk. He may not actively seek out the company of women, but I think when he gets to know them, he gets over it. Also, apparently in one of the OVAs, he's talking to Chichiri about picking up a woman in a tavern...right...he so hates women (sarcasm). So, hopefully, he's not too OOC. Let me know what you think! I much prefer constructive criticism to "good" or a smiley face or some other generic review. 


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